Orthodontic appliance



Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES) EDWARD H. ANGLE, oF. PASADENA, GALIFORNIA.

` oR'rHoDoNTicAPIBLIANcE. I;

T0 all whom t may concern.' Y Be it known that I, EDWARD H. ANGLE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident 'of Pasadena, in the vcounty `of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements 'inn Orthodontic Appliances, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

Broadly speaking, my invention relates to dental devices that areadapted for' the movement of malposed teeth into theirrelaf tivelynormal positions in the dental arch, and particularly to such devices inwhich an arch-bar is employed with its terminals suitably supported foradjustment in anchorages clamped to suitably .disposedposterior teeth,and connected intermediatel of its terminals with brackets projectingfrom tooth-bands secured to selected malposed teeth of the dental arch,and is especially directed to the means'by which rigid connectionbetween said tooth-band brackets on the malposed' teeth, and thearch-bar may be effected. f l -l Theprincipalobjectscof my invention areto provide an` arch-.bar with' abutments so spaced as to engage theopposite'sidesof a: tooth-band bracketfandso- :formed as to insure such,a rigid connection'therewith/as to `afford a TpositiveLmovement Voffthec'onnected tooth bodily or effect its rotation aboutitsaxis,ortheilateral 'tippingVf of said airis' with equalfacilityfffi' '5i'"i'fOt-her` objects 'of my'- invention are to "'so form thee-abutmentsto be attached to lthe arch-bar, that they may' be readily- 'adjusted onsaid arch-bar with precision and rigidly heldin such adjusted positioias'to greatly facilitate their integra-l attachment thereto. Vinver'i'tioncomprehends'` 'an arch-bar; having toothbandbracket abutment'scomprising parallelbars arranged te relnbrael said brackets andvrespectively fit., snugly against-'its opposite" sides,beinglofrelatively different length, the one servingas' "af leverbearingl Ysubstantially throughout the extent of s'id' bracket, v4"WhileVth'vefotlie'l" S'elve'shto maintain said lever infiifntiinate"'eont'actfwith Satid';b-"alet,A4 and together' bei'ngg"t COpea tive to`'notlnly eft'ect'the movement ofthe toothbod'ily in fth'edirection 'ofthe'len'gth of said ,arch-'ban "butto maintain afii'gid 'and Stable'elatiOI'l Vt0 'the-l blcktf'ald '8.I'Ch'lblr, thus preventing any4tendency of said bracketY to" tip"rel'ative to v'sa-id arch-bar;

, Specifically stated, lthe forml of my l invention as hereinafterdescribed, comprises a cleat bifurcated to form prongs having opposedparallel edges, and provided with a tang arranged to be bent'back intocooperative relationf with said prongs to af# ford a clamp by which'lsaid cleat may be 1,552,413 PATENT; crtica.f i f frictionally engagedwith the arch-bar,' said cleat beingarranged to straddle said archbarwith the 'prongs and tang respectively engaging its opposite sidesf4 YMy invention also includesall oftheva-- rious novel features ofconstruction and ar# rangement as hereinafter more definitely specified.1

In the accompanying drawings', Figure l is aninverted plan .view oftheuppe'r human dental arch showing a convenientembodiment of myinventionattached to the arch-bar and associated with thebrackets oftooth-bands on selected malposedteeth of i y said dental arch ;v FigQ isan enlarged front elevational view of one yof the incisor teeth showingmy' inventionA applied thereto in operative and ultimate form; Fig. 3``a greatly enlarged front elevationalpview `of the 'cleat constructed inaccordance with 'my invention, as ity appears 'in' its manufactured orinitial form; Fig'. Lisa :side elevational view of lthe cleat structureyillustratedY in Fig'. 3;""Figb5 isa front elevational view of the :cleat`A`shapedto forma clampaiid em-` bracing an arch-barili positiontofbejsolderedfithje'reto 4"Figlf f6" is' aiV side elevational viewfo'fthe structue-as assembled in vFig'. 5," the: arch-fbarbeingu shown" insection :for conveniencev of illustrationg-andi Fig. 7 isa frontelevational view Isimilar toid that illus-V ti'tedin' 5, but"SllOWiig"the Cleat trimmed" flush`- 'with 4the edge of theVarchbar-thereby' leaving the soldered.' prongs 'eff said'cleatlin'position toprovide theabutments forthe bracket illustrated in'FigZThe tooth 'Y reguliating appliance 'tol fwh Y, h this invention'isfespe'ciallyapplicable'i in; dicated in a generaliy wayinFi'glfand`includ'es, `Y together with assdcia'jtedfparts; i` an archi-bar .1 bent'tol 'substantially 'confrnrto the "dentalfarchfand? having jitfsextremities provided withf talngsj and?extended through yan'ehforslmatlrs, 3,fwithwhichjsadtamis may i Y 4he -engagedftoret'ain thearch-bariinfad-y attached to the first molar teeth 6, Which serves asanchor abutments upon opposite sides of the dental arch, said bandsbeingl provided With an eye 7 at one end, and at the other end, athreaded: stem 8 extended through said eye and arranged, to, be adjustedtherein by the nut- 9 t'o"cl'amp'the band 5 upon said abutment teeth. 6,asis obvious.

The gist of my invention is the provision of conveniently applied meansfor preventingthe relative longitudinal movement of thei'arch-bar 1 inthe bracket 10of the toothband 11 secured yto selected malposed teeth 12of the dental arch as indicated in Fig, 1 and, as best shown in Fig. 2,said means comprises the abutments 15 and 16, which are attached to .thearch-bal l, Preferably by Solder, with their opposed edgesvn suchparallel relation, as t0. embrace and .Closely engage the oppositesidesl .o-vfvsaid bracket 10, said arch-bar 1 being prevented fromlateral displacement. by the retaining pin- 1,7.

It may be here noted that the abutment 15 extends substantially the'full length of the bracket 1,0l and affords aVA lever by which aItilting QITCG applied, to the arch-bar 1 tends to'rock the axis of; the.tooth l2 laterally, While the, abutment 16: is comparatively short,extending only substantially the Width of the arch-bar; 1, and servingto maintain the operative edge of the abutment 175 in cooperativeengagement With said b-racket 1,0; y c

In order t0Y insure the proper positioning of the abutments l5 and,1-6onV the arch-bar in. a definitely spacedy parallel; relation, andtoproperly and conveniently retain them in such position While` beingsecured to said arch-bar, they are preferably formed. from a unitarystructure comprising the cleat 1,9, as showni in Figs. 3 andE 4i.

The cleat r9: isgprovided withv the prongs 20and 21` formingthe-abutments 15 and 16, and hasthe tangl 2 2 preferably offa. reducedthickness, as, clearly shown, in Fig. 4, arranged tobe bent backvvardlyyintoI cooperative relation with said prongs; 20 and 2,1 to form aclamp, arranged to embrace and tightlyfgripthe arch-bar 1;, as-clearlyshown in Figs.-y 5 and. 6,` and so engage it on said archi-barv as to;greatly facilitate the soldering-1 operation by which said prongse20 and21 may be securedy to the arch-bar 1- to form the abutments 15 and-16.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the clampr is provided with theshoulder 25,preferably formed on, the prong 20,- andservingas a guide by: vvhichIthel vertical position of the cleat 19l may bei determined, byregistering said shoulde'r25, withy the edge 26 of the anch-bar 1. f fAfter the. cleat-,19 has been properly adjusted on the arch-bar l in therequired posit-ionand the-prongs 2 0;v and 2L soldered l or Otherwiseintegrally attached to the archbar, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, said`prongs may be severed flush With the; edge 26 of said arch-bar 1,vthereby leaving the abutments- 15 and 16' on said arch-bar, as shownv inFig. 7, with their opposed edges so disposed and relatively spaced, asto closely engage the opposite sides of the bracket 10,'When saidarch-bar is litted in said bracket and secured by the pin 17, as bestyshown in Fig. 2. Y

To properly locate the cleat 19 on the arch-bar the latter is scribedAtransversely just anterior to the bracket 10 attached to the tooth-band,and the cleat having its tang bent to form the clamp is slipped on thearch-bar,v and the inner edge of its anterior prongl madeto registerwith the transversev scribe corresponding to the side of the bracket 10and the shoulder 25 caused to register with the edge 26 of said archbar,While thus held by the. tang 22,r the prongs 20u and 2l may be solderedto the arch-bar 1, and the surplus or unattached clamp portion severed,thereby leaving the abutments 15 and 1 6 in operative position to,engage said bracket 10.

My invention. isadvantageous in vthat absolute accuracy is attained inpositioning the abutments,.vvithout bringing to bear, any great effortand superior skill on the` part of the operator.

'I d0v not desire tov limit, my inventionto the precise details ofconstruction andV arrangement as herein specified, as it is obviousvthatvariousmodiiicationsmay be made therein'A Without departing 'from theessential features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. Anorthodontic appliancey comprising a cleat having relatively spacedvprongs. arranged to provide abutments. on. an archbar, and having a tangrcooperative With said` prongs toclamp said cleaton said Varchiappliance comprising tang extended into cooperative relation with saidprongs toclamp said cleat onsaid; archbarvvhile being permanentlysecured thereto.

4,Y orthodontic appliance comprising a bifurcated structure having atang, the prongs of which aii'ord relatively spaced parallel edgedabutments on an arch-bar, and the tang being cooperative With saidprongs to frictionally engage said structure With said arch-bar Whilesaid prongs are being permanently secured thereto. y

5. An orthodontic appliance comprising a biifurcated structure having atang, the prongs of which afford relatively spaced parallel edgedabutments of relatively different extent on'an arch-bar, and the tangbeing cooperative with said prongs to frictionally engage said structureWith, said arch-bar While said prongs are being permanently securedthereto.

6. An orthodontic appliance comprising a bifurcated structure having atang, the prongs of which are arranged to be permanently secured to anarch-bar and alording abutments having relatively parallel spacedopposed edges extended transversely across the side of said arch-bar,between Which the bracket of a tooth-engagingband may be snugly engaged,and the tang being relatively thinner than said prongs serving as a cliparranged to clasp said structure to said arch-bar While beingpermanently engaged to form said abutments.

7. An orthodontic appliance comprising a bifurcated structure affordingrelatively spaced prongs, and a tang cooperative to form a clamparrangedv to be rictionally engaged With an arch-bar to provideabutments thereon.` Y l 8. An orthodontic appliance comprising abifurcated structure affording relatively spaced prongs ofrelatively-different longitudinal extent, and a tang cooperative to forma clamp arranged to be ri'ctionally engaged With an arch-bar to provideabutments thereon.

9. An orthodontic appliance comprising a bifurcated structure aordingrelatively spaced prongs, a tang cooperative to form a clamp arranged tobe frictionally engaged With an arch-barV to provide abutments thereon,and a shoulder forming a guide for gauging the position ofsaidvstructure on said arch-bar. Y

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day ofFebruary,A. D., 1925. Y

EDWARD H. ANGLE.

